Gate to the Heart
by Ren Estera
Summary: In a world where the sins and darkness of the human heart thrives,Ishimaru Kumiko is left in the dark about her parents and even herself.Her life takes a drastic change when her friends reveals their true self to her...weren't they just tennis players?
1. Into Her Life

**Author: Well, I had this idea running about in my head for a moment now and I originally wrote this as a dream novel but since I'm not sure whether I was accepted yet, I shall post it here first x3 **

**This is a cross-over of sorts, using things that existed in other animes such as Gatekeepers; But characters will most likely be only my OC's and PoT characters. **

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_Gate To The Heart_

_Chapter 1: Into Her Life_

_"There is a reason for the unknown."_

* * *

Ishimaru Kumiko sighed softly as she stood up from her seat and started to slowly pack up her flute. Since she was 4 years old, she was already attending music classes of all sorts, varying from the flute to the guitar and all the way to singing.

Although she wasn't particularly good at certain instruments, she was still recognized for her musical talents at Rikkaidai, particularly with the flute and singing.

Placing the flute gently into its casing, Kumiko locked it in place before lifting the strap to her shoulders and padded softly out into the hallways of the school. It was already after school and although club activities had ended sometime ago, Kumiko decided to stay back a bit to practice a little bit more.

More in fact, she WANTED to stay in school, as long as it meant delaying the time she had to go back home. She didn't remember the last time she saw her parents, Ishimaru Kenichi and Ishimaru Asuka. They left for a 'business trip' or so she was told, a year or so back and that was the last she saw of them ever since.

She had tried numerous times to contact them but their phone lines were always down or they never replied to her mails. She had given up trying to find them after about 2 weeks of trying….it wasn't as if she cared anyway. Kumiko had never been close to her parents as they were always away, and although they showed certain signs that they cared, such as being there for her birthday and such, they did not really had much family moments together.

They were always away.

And she never knew for what reasons. Whenever she asked, they would just smile and tell her that she would find out in the near future….or late, depending on the situation.

And it has been for a year now that they had been away. Kumiko had lived by herself since then, in their mansion. Although there were servants around the house, Kumiko always felt lonely in that house. It wasn't the fact that it is huge and it almost seemed like she was the only one living there. It was just….

"Oi-! Kumiko-chan!"

Kumiko looked up. Kirihara Akaya waved to her from the tennis courts. She hadn't even realized she was already out of the school building and walking by the courts, where her friend and classmate usually practiced after school.

Sometimes Kumiko would wait for Kirihara's practice to end before heading home together or vice versa. Kumiko didn't understand why, but the day she enrolled into Rikkadai a year back, Kirihara had approached her and befriended her.

She had found it weird for she wasn't much of a social person at first glance. The tennis regulars deemed her as shy, for they soon found that she was quite a lively person when familiarized with enough. Although she still wondered at times what made Kirihara approach her in the first place.

Kumiko smiled as she waved back and jogged towards the courts, feelings of dread about heading home gone.

"What's wrong with you? You looked a little out of it there," Akaya asked with an eyebrow raised when she was near enough.

Kumiko shook her head in response. "It's nothing. I was just thinking." She replied with a laugh. "But why are you all still here? Practice ended an hour ago didn't it?"

Marui came up beside the girl, blowing a green bubblegum. "Buchou made us stay back for another hour of training since we have a tournament next week." He sighed. "He works us like dogs."

"There is an 88% chance that Genichirou will make you run an extra 15 laps for saying that, considering that a tournament is coming up next week and slacking off is intolerable at the moment." Renji mentioned.

Akaya and Marui both stiffened in shock for a moment at his sudden appearance. Kumiko released the breath she sucked in from the surprise. "Yanagi-senpai, please don't scare us like that!" She patted her heart wearily.

Renji only smiled in response before an arm snaked its way across Kumiko's shoulders. "And how is my lovely kouhai here doing?" Came Niou's seductive voice right by Kumiko's ears.

Kumiko instantly flushed red as she took a small step back from the Trickster. "N-Niou-senpai!"

Before Niou could comment on her flushed face with any inappropriate remarks, Yagyuu stepped in to save the poor girl from his doubles partner. "Niou, please mind your manners….and your arm."

As Niou was about to make a comeback, the captain of the team, Yukimura, along with Sanada and Jackal approached.

Kumiko instantly turned and bowed in respect to her three seniors. "Yukimura-senpai, Sanada-senpai, Kuwahara-senpai."

A nod from Sanada was her response while Jackal sighed at her formalities. Yukimura chuckled. "I told you many times before Kumiko-chan, you don't have to be so formal with us. We've known each other for at least a year now."

Kumiko only scratched her head in embarrassment. "Sorry. It's habit I suppose."

At that time, Akaya turned to the shorter girl by his side. "So what were you doing here in school? Activities ended an hour ago like you said."

Kumiko laughed uncomfortably. She didn't want to tell them her reason for staying back. It might sound awkward. "Well I just wanted to practice more on that music sheet Yamada-sensei gave us yesterday."

"And practice just ended for us now. Let's go get something to eat!!" Marui piped up, his eyes shining at the thought of food.

Yukimura turned to Sanada. "That sounds good. Care to join us, Sanada?"

Sanada only adjusted his cap before declining. "Iie. It's fine. I have to head home." Was all he said before walking towards the school gate.

Niou hummed in frustration. "Sanada-fukubuchou really has got to lighten up puri."

* * *

The group stopped by a small café to grab some food as Marui had suggested. They were starving from practice.

Kumiko spooned a mouthful of strawberry cheesecake ice-cream into her mouth before licking her lips in delight. If there was one thing Kumiko enjoyed other than the performing arts, it would be sweet food.

And this was where she and Marui found common liking between each other. They spent many weekends together just dropping from stores to stalls to cafes just to taste the variety of sweet food they have and making comments on them to each other and sometimes to their friends.

But of course, Kumiko didn't eat as much as Marui did since she didn't have a sport activity to keep her in shape so she made sure she didn't overdose herself in calories.

The lot of them stayed at the café and chatted up a bit before heading their separate ways, although Akaya insisted he walked Kumiko home. Kumiko only accepted without much of a resistance since he did this regularly. Though unknown to her and the other tennis regulars, Akaya had gave a small nod to Marui before walking away with her.

"Thanks for walking me home Akaya." Kumiko smiled to the boy next to her.

He only shrugged and smiled back in response. "It was no problem. Don't want you running into trouble."

The girl raised a questioning eyebrow. "Trouble? Akaya, its only sunset now. Nobody would try to kidnap me in broad light." She told him as she laughed lightly.

The boy shrugged again. Turning to head home, he replied to her softly, "You never know." And with that, he trudged towards his home at a slow pace.

Kumiko only blinked at his retreating figure before waving it off and entering her home.

She never understood what is up with him and his over-protectiveness of her anyway.

And boy, was she ever right that she never understood….

* * *

"So she is to take over the organization?" A boy with fiery red eyes questioned. His similarly fiery red hair stood messily on his head, his eyes slightly covered by the untrimmed fringes.

A man sitting in a chair nodded. He had dark shoulder length hair which parted at the left side. He had his hands propped on the table in front of him, with his chin resting on them. Black gloves adorned his hands whilst a large black coat covered his green shirt underneath. His black boots were covered by his baggy black pants.

"But Amon, she's just a kid!" The same boy exclaimed.

A pop sounded beside him. "And so are you."

"Shut up Marui! I'm still older than you." The red eyed boy yelled.

"Heeh~ So you're older than us. By what? 2 years? 3 years? Still not legal yet." Another voice chimed up from beside Marui.

"What did you say Kirihara?!" This time, the red eyed boy's anger was turned towards the green eyed boy instead while Marui just continued chewing his gum.

A softer, much more polite voice cut in just as Kirihara was about to receive a punch to the face. "Please calm down, Takibi-senpai!" A hand reached out and grasped Takibi Hotaru's shoulders and pulled him back from Kirihara who stood there glaring at Takibi.

"Ootori! Why did you stop me?! That brat deserves a punch or two!!" Takibi exclaimed to the taller boy by his side who still had a hold on him.

Ootori Choutarou only rubbed his neck while chuckling nervously. "We're in headquarters now so…"

"It would be best if you behaved and controlled yourself, Takibi." Amon spoke up after remaining silent for the most part. Takibi looked at Amon before pulling himself free from Choutarou roughly.

"Che."

Kirihara snickered quietly at his defeated 'senior'. Takibi was 3 years older than him and 2 years older than Marui. Although the both of them didn't have much respect for him, they still had to address him with the proper honorific of senpai although they did not attend the same school. That's just the way this organization works.

Amon rubbed his temple as he felt a headache approaching him. "As I was saying-"

He was cut off when there was a sudden snore in the room. All eyes turned to the source of the sound and found a boy sleeping in the corner by one of the many control panels in the room.

Amon sighed in frustration as Ootori quickly made his way over to his sleeping senior. Shaking him lightly, Ootori called him in an attempt to wake him up. "Jirou-senpai, wake up!" In response, his hand was swatted away by the Sleeping Beauty of Hyotei.

Ootori tried again. This time, Jirou turned over in his sleep and continued snoring.

Ootori despaired at his senpai's antics. Here they were in an important meeting with the current leader of the organization and at least 10 other important members and his senpai decided to sleep of all things!

In tennis practice it was fine since Atobe-senpai allows him to but here…

Jirou suddenly jolted up wide awake and jumped to his feet while fanning one leg. "Ow!Ow!Ow!Ow! Hooot!"

Ootori looked to his left and saw Takibi there with his arms crossed and smirking at Jirou. He then looked over to Ootori. "Well, he's awake now so there's no problem."

Ootori sighed. It was organization rules that they do not use their powers against each other but seeing as Jirou was up and mostly unharmed….he supposed it was fine.

As Ootori took his place next to a certain brown haired boy, Jirou finally cooled his leg enough for him to stand properly. Amon coughed softly before looking at Jirou sternly. "Next time, do not sleep during meeting hours, or any working hours for that matter seeing as our schedule is spontaneous."

Jirou only nodded in response as he stretched and let out a yawn. Akaya grimaced at the boy. 'Lucky Amon-san isn't like Sanada-fukubuchou or we'll be doing god knows what kind of punishment….' He thought to himself. Usually, Jirou would be hopping about in joy over the presence of Marui but since they were constantly in contact due to being in the same organization, Jirou hardly jump in joy at the sight of Marui anymore...unless it was during a tennis match of course.

"Back to the topic. As I mentioned, she is going to take over SM-J as soon as she is ready." Amon briefed to the boys standing in front of him and several other people scattered across the room.

Amon raised a hand as Takibi was about to protest, signalling that he kept quiet. "True, she may be young but so are most of you here. So I do not see much of a problem."

"But our roles are completely different. We only do the field work while she is going to be running the whole Solomon branch of Japan." A boy with blue hair spoke up this time.

Takibi took this chance to protest again. "Yea! And clearly field work is much easier than running a whole organization such as this!! And it also means we have to take orders from someone younger than us!!"

"What? Is that hurting your pride?" Marui mocked with an eyebrow raised in amusement as he blew another bubble.

Takibi glared at him but remained silent.

"I know this is sudden, but it was in the will of Kenichi-sama and Asuka-sama." Amon spoke up solemnly.

The whole room suddenly fell silent upon the mention of their former leaders.

"Being their only child, it is natural she would be the heir to this organization whether Kenichi-sama and Asuka-sama wills it to or not. But Takibi, I think you are jumping to too many conclusions." Amon looked at Takibi, his face nothing but serious. "You have yet to meet the girl and here you are already calling her incapable. And yet, Marui and Kirihara, who are quite familiar with her, believes that she is capable. Even Ootori and Jirou who only met her several times find her suitable to the position."

Takibi looked away and murmured something inaudible.

"And I'm sure you find her capable as well?" Amon turned to another boy with a smile plastered across his face.

The boy smiled. "Yes. I find her rather exquisite and believe she will do her parents proud."

The blue haired boy from before spoke up. "Sure you guys are not just saying that because you are acquainted with her?"

The smiling boy previously turned to him. "Believe me Kurin-san. I do not simply back people up just because they are my friends. Rather, I back them up if I find them worthy of it."

Kurin turned towards the front of the room again. "Whatever you say….Fuji."

"Well then, the best way to clear all the doubts we have here is to get to know her of course. As she is still unawares of our existence and will be pretty much novice when she starts out, I hope that those of you who still have doubts about her give her a chance. You cannot after all judge a book by its cover and its first few chapters."

The people in the room all gave their nods to their leader.

Amon then stood up, clapping his hands together. "Very well then. Tomorrow, we shall introduce ourselves to her, shall we not?"

The group of boys chimed a 'Yes' in unison before all their eyes turned to the large screen behind Amon.

On the screen, the profile and several pictures of a girl was laid out.

The very same girl who is currently loathing the existence of her parents and their wealth.

Ishimaru Kumiko's smiling face stared back at the boys from the screen.

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**Lol weird story. Reviews?**


	2. First Attack

_Gate To The Heart_

_Chapter 2: First Attack_

_"Never fear the darkness when I am here."_

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A knock on her bedroom door stirred Kumiko from her sleep, but not enough to get her out of bed. Her voice, muffled by her pillows, demanded what the person on the other side of the door wanted.

"Young Mistress, two boys by the name of Kirihara Akaya and Marui Bunta are here to see you." Came the reply from the other said.

Kumiko, still half asleep, only gave a groggy 'Ah' of acknowledgement before falling back asleep, thoughts of the visitors already forgotten.

At the same time, Akaya and Bunta both stood in the main in the main hall of the mansion, waiting patiently for the girl to come downstairs.

A few moments passed before the maid who let them in returned. "The Young Mistress will be with you shortly, Kirihara-sama, Marui-sama."

Akaya scratched his head in embarrassment and uncertainty, as he wasn't used to such treatments. "Ah-yea. Okay."

The maid bowed once more before gesturing to them to follow her. "Please, this way."

They were lead to another grand room, the living room, where they were asked to sit down while some snacks were served.

Marui carefully picked up the china where a piece of strawberry short cake sat, not wanting to break anything for he knew that these things were expensive. Akaya just lounged lazily on the sofa next to Marui, taking in the living room. Although the both of them as well as the rest of the regulars came here quite often, they still couldn't get used to the formal treatments they were entitled to here.

Sure he enjoyed being treated like a king once in awhile, but it just felt awkward at times to have everything done for you. 'Don't understand how that Atobe of Hyotei could enjoy this….' Akaya thought to himself, taking a sip from the can of Ponta the maid brought in with the cake.

They had come here so many times now through the year that most of the servants here already knew what were their preferences and habits, thus they need not ask for what they desired. Instead, all their favourite foods and drinks were brought to them automatically. As its not dinner or lunch time yet, Akaya only received a can of Ponta and a slice of chocolate cake rather than his favourite yakiniku while Marui was served strawberry shortcake and a can of soda.

Akaya sighed. "Sometimes I really hate this job of ours." He mumbled softly though Marui still heard.

"And why is that?" A slurp was heard as Marui downed his soda before stuffing more cake into his mouth.

"It's the weekend and here we are, up so early in the morning because Amon-san demanded we get Kumiko-chan as soon as possible." He sighed again. "I bet Kumiko-chan isn't even up yet!!"

And Akaya was 100 percent right, or so Renji would have said if he was there. Because, 30 minutes later and Kumiko hasn't even arrived downstairs yet. Marui had long finished his cake and even his third servings, and Akaya was tapping his fingers against the sofa arm furiously.

Marui, noticing that Kirihara was starting to get impatient, immediately flagged down a maid who was passing by the hallway outside the living room with laundry in her arms. "Excuse me, do you know if Kumiko-chan is ready yet?" Marui noticed she was one of the maids who regularly attended to the tennis team.

The maid merely blinked at him. "Ara, the Young Mistress hasn't arrived yet?"

Marui shook his head.

"I'll go check up on her immediately then." And with that, the maid bowed before quickly making her way to the second floor, where Kumiko's room is.

Marui then turned back into the room and took his seat by Kirihara once again.

"Well?" The younger boy questioned, one eyebrow raised.

Marui shrugged. "She said she was going to get her." Kirihara grumbled at the reply.

"That's what the last one said…"

* * *

"Young Mistress, please, its time to get up. Your guests are waiting" The maid pleaded at the sleeping, softly shaking her arm.

Kumiko swatted her hand away. Groggily, she asked, "What guests?"

"Kirihara-sama and Marui-sama. They arrived here about half an hour ago and Aya(The first maid) came to wake you."

Kumiko's eyes snapped open. "Oh schinatz!! I forgot!"

The maid quirked an eyebrow at her Young Mistress's choice of words. "They are waiting in the living room."

And with that, Kumiko instantly jumped out of bed and went through her morning routine. It was 10am now, so Kumiko estimated that Kirihara and Marui must have arrived at about 9:20am.

Kumiko entered the living room to find Kirihara and Marui lounging on the sofa, although the former looked slightly angry.

"I'm so sorry!!" She instantly apologized when she was close enough.

Kirihara glared at her. "Were you sleeping?"

"Umm…"

A pop. "That's cruel, Kumiko-chan! How can you sleep while we wait for you here like dogs?" Marui sighed dramatically.

Kumiko frowned. "I didn't ask you to wait…and I didn't know you guys would be stopping by today…."

Kirihara got up from his seat. "Whatever. You're here now, so let's go."

Kumiko blinked. "Go? Go where?"

* * *

Kumiko was lead to a park by Kirihara and Marui where they both stood, as if waiting for something. A few times now she heard Kirihara mumble to himself about someone being late.

"Hey…just why exactly are we here?" She questioned the two boys uncertainly. She trusted the both of them, so she knew they had good reasons.

Marui looked at her, sucking in his apple flavoured gum. He grinned at her suddenly, reminding Kumiko of a child who just successfully pranked his parents. "Although you may find this weird and sudden, but don't worry!! We'll protect you!"

"Huh?" Kumiko stared at the taller boy. But Marui wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the surrounding area of the park, which to Kumiko, suddenly seemed very deserted.

"Che. They tracked us." Kirihara whispered to himself but Kumiko heard him.

"What are you guys-"

"LOOK OUT!!"

Kumiko was suddenly shoved to the ground with Marui on top of her, his arms around her head to ensure she didn't give herself a concussion.

Kumiko would have flamed red at any other situation but right now, all she could do was pale and gape in shock.

Because right above her and Marui, a dark and shadowy being towered. The being was practically a pile of goop, a large pile as it was taller than even Kirihara. It bubbled in areas and sometimes, it would twist and contort, as if it was taking shape. Kumiko then noticed that on the side of this creature, a sharp looking blade was present like it was a limb part of the creature.

And she then realized she would have been decapitated if Marui had not pushed her out of the way.

The blade from the creature suddenly extended out, parts of its goop, as Kumiko officially declared it, adding to the length of the blade. The blade raised and started descending towards the both of them on the ground and Kumiko would have screamed but she lost her voice at the shock.

'_Oh god! We're gonna die!!"_

Kumiko snapped her eyes shut.

"Kirihara!!"

Kumiko heard Marui call out from above her and she peeked one eye opened in curiosity although panic was running rampant in her head. But both her eyes snapped open when she saw a red sword pierce itself though the creature although no one was holding onto it.

Several more swords followed after the first one, each one stabbing through the creature in swift motions. A deep howl left the creature although from where, Kumiko wasn't sure, since it had no mouth.

As the creature dispersed, shards of black flakes were left in its wake, showering Marui and Kumiko with it. Marui instantly got up and pulled the girl out of the mini-shower along with him.

"Stay away from those. Although it won't cause fatal damage, they can burn your skin badly if received in large amounts." He advised, while staring at the flakes falling before them.

"Wh-what the hell was that?" Kumiko asked, wide-eyed and not realizing her choice of words. Marui looked at her inquisitively. It wasn't everyday you heard a word such as 'hell' coming from the girl. Niou had declared that it was her rich-blood, aka 'noble-blood' that stopped the girl from using even the simplest of crude words such as hell.

"Explanations later." Marui told her, still chewing his gum. "For now, just stick by my side while Kirihara ride this out."

"Hey-what?!" Kirihara turned around to face them from his position not too far away. "You're supposed to help me!!" He cried indignantly.

Marui flashed him the 'V' sign. "And leave the damsel to distress?" He grinned. "And besides, you're more than capable of taking them out. You don't need a genius like me to help you in this one…..they really are underestimating us."

Before Kumiko could scream at them for an explanation, she noticed shapes taking forms from the shadows of the various objects around them. From the trees, benches, lamp posts….

Kumiko took a step back, hiding herself behind Marui further. She suddenly felt a hand around hers. She looked down and saw Marui grasping her right hand tightly. He looked down at her, a frown on his face but seriousness and concern was found in his eyes. All traces of the childish brat Kumiko known was gone.

"Seriously…, just stick by me." He told her in a low voice.

She did not know what it was, but the way he looked at her made Kumiko trust Marui with her life, even though she had absolutely no idea what was going on. She just knew….that those creatures were no joke and not possibly human made…even if Atobe Keigo himself hired the best special effects team in the whole universe.

She also knew that….whatever they were, they were out to kill.

And Marui and Kirihara are the only ones around now that knows how to stop them.

Kumiko gave a weak nod to Marui, suddenly feeling weak and sick all over. The sudden appearance of those creatures had clearly shocked her as they were not things you see everyday….or possibly even in a lifetime. Not to mention they weren't all that good for an eyesore….and the smell they had on them certainly gave land fills a run for their money. Shock, fear and panic took their tolls on her and drained the blood from her face, causing her to go lightheaded.

Marui noticed how she suddenly went pale as he gave her hand a soft squeeze. In his mind, he silently recited the oath he had taken when he was recruited into the SM-J.

_I hereby am bound by the Key._

Marui turned his attention forward as the shapes finally took their full form, rather than just piles of liquid. Possessing proper arms and legs now, the creatures were able to move more steadily and swiftly even.

_In where my soul and mind shall stay._

Kirihara took a stance and held one hand up in front of him, as if he was holding a dagger as the creatures approached.

_Until the lock within me breaks, shall my Gate always remain._

"Wh-what are they?" Kumiko croaked out, her hold on Marui tightening.

_To protect the hands, in where the key to my destiny lay._

"The darkness from within us."

_To protect the soul, to where my heart belong._

Kirihara stared at the approaching enemies, his eyes filled with cold rage. A bright red circle appeared in his irises, with 3 glowing orbs spinning along the circle's orbit. Within that circle, another smaller circle appeared, only with 2 orbs spinning around the orbit this time.

"Gate…-"

_From the pits of the Universe, to the planes of eternity._

From behind Marui, Kumiko saw 2 red glowing circles, one within the other, in front of Kirihara. As he has his back to her, she was unable to see that the very same circles were found in his eyes as well.

_Shall my fire only burn for one single entity._

The creatures in unison took a great leap, all wanting to reach Kirihara as fast as possible when they saw that he was taking action.

_And my love-_

"OPEN!!"

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**lulz Reviews?**


	3. Gatekeepers

_Gate To The Heart_

_Chapter 3: Gatekeepers_

_"..."_

* * *

"Gate- OPEN!!"

Kumiko's eyes widened and her jaw slacked.

The circles in front of Kirihara suddenly expanded, making their width much large than Kirihara himself. A red glow from the circles cast themselves over Kirihara, giving a bloody red glow to his clothes and skin.

"Kumiko-chan..." Kumiko looked up to Marui upon hearing her name, her eyes still wide with astonishment. "If you're squeamish, close your eyes."

"Eh?"

Kumiko understood why as the next scene played itself to her from across the park.

The creatures, still rapidly approaching Kirihara were suddenly stopped in their tracks, as swords emerged from the circle Kirihara produced. And it wasn't just one sword.

Kumiko watched as at least 30 swords flew out of the circle in rapid succession and lodged themselves into the body of the creatures. Purplish red blood gushed out of them as the swords flew right through them, leaving gaping holes in their wake.

But the swords travels did not end there as they continued flying straight and into the next creature that was behind the former.

Kumiko felt slightly sick with all the blood-like liquid spilling all over the place, splattering themselves onto the soil, dying it red and staining the trees and benches around the place.

Bits and pieces of the creatures showered around the areas, for Kirihara's swords did not cleanly slice through any of them; rather, they butchered them- minced them.

"Ma-Marui-senpai...wh-what exactly is that circle in front of Akaya-kun? Ho-how are swords produced from there?! How are the swords even moving?! " Kumiko's frantic voiced cut into Marui's concentration on Kirihara's battle. Despite being dizzy from the lack of blood in her head at the moment, Kumiko could not help but feel the need to understand what was going on.

'_This...this is not logical!!' _Was what ran through her mind.

Marui looked at her and gave a grin. "I can explain all these to you since I'm a tensai but I can't answer them right now. It's best for Amon-san to do it."

"A-Amon...?" Kumiko repeated with confusion etched all over her.

"Yes, but for now, its best to think about yours and our safety!!" And suddenly, Marui had one arm across her shoulders and pulled the girl into his chest, his hold on her tight and relentless. He quickly spun around with Kumiko still in his hold so that his back was facing the battle between Kirihara and the creatures.

"Marui-senpai!?" Kumiko called shocked. She looked up at the red-head but found him not looking at her, but backwards to the battle.

Kumiko blinked her eyes rapidly, as if trying to make sure it wasn't an illusion.

'_Was that...was that blue circles inside Marui-senpai's eyes?'_

_

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_Sluuuurps_

The coffee flavoured liquid rolled down his parched throat as the blue-haired boy walked leisurely down the street. His yellow eyes scanned the crowded area, in search of a certain flaming red hair.

Crushing the can with one hand, he threw it over his shoulders and into a trash can without looking back. Frowning, he crossed his arms over his chest causing his light blue sleeveless shirt with a purple shark imprint to crinkle.

'_He's late...'_

A beep caused his eyes to look down towards his waist. There, a red glow emitted from his custom phone, indicating a new message.

Flipping it open, he quickly scanned the new message but frowned upon doing so.

"Tch!" The boy quickly turned and sped down the streets and towards the park with his eyes glued to his phone screen where a map with a blinking red dot was.

_Amon: Make your way down to the park immediately. I have already indicated on your GPRS map where to go. Marui has initiated code Yellow._

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Kumiko's eyes filled with confusion...as well as little hints of fear. These...these glowing circles...what were they?

How come Akaya can produce them? They were produced by him...wasn't it? Why did Marui-senpai have them in his eyes too? Who...-what are they?!

They can't be human...?

These things are not logical...not normal...not...human.

These thoughts ran around in Kumiko's mind at a rapid pace. They were her friends and she trusted them but...right now, she felt slight fear towards them.

Because they aren't normal? They weren't…the people who she thought they were.

It was in human nature to fear what is not natural to them and no matter how much Kumiko told herself they were her friends and she trusted them, she wasn't exempted from this natural human instinct.

To fear the abnormal.

Marui seemed to have felt the girl tensing in his arms and he looked back down at her. He blinked in slight shock when he saw fear in her eyes...towards him?

His eyes with the circles still glowing inside them softened as he spoke in a whisper. "Don't worry...I...-no, we wont hurt you." His words indicated both him and Kirihara.

Kumiko could smell his apple-flavoured breath as he spoke, vestiges of the bubblegum he had in his mouth. She looked up at him and inwardly slapped herself.

How could she even begin to doubt her own friends? They were the ones who stuck by her side in school and offered to spend their lunch time with her when she was all alone. And, weren't they protecting her right now and placing themselves in danger while doing so?

Marui's whole body covered hers while his was open to the creatures if any chose to attack them, and Kirihara was way out front fighting them off with that power of his, keeping the creatures at bay.

Kumiko looked into Marui's eyes once more, the blue circles with their white orbs reflecting in her own and decided to give her full trust to them, thus eliminating any traces of fear in her eyes. She nodded at him and smiled softly.

"Sorry...for doubting you."

Marui grinned. "Who ever said we blamed you?" And with that, he turned back around with a green bubble growing out of his mouth before popping again.

His eyes suddenly arched downwards in concentration but that playful grin remained on his mouth. "Need some help Kirihara?!" He yelled out.

Kirihara looked back at Marui, his curly hair whipping at his face as he did so. He frowned at him. "I thought you said I can handle them?!"

"Well, you're taking too long!! Gate, Open!!"

"It's been only 3 minutes!!" Kirihara screamed back in protest.

Circles similar to the one previously in front of Kirihara appeared before Marui, only his emitted a soft blue glow. Kumiko had to squint her eyes at the brightness, being at such close distance with it.

A harsh wind suddenly picked up at the park, causing the trees to wave madly and bits of soil to rise in the air. Kumiko snapped one eye shut in response to the sudden wind but kept one open so that she could see what was going on. One hand instinctively went to hold down her skirt which was blowing wildly about.

Marui opened his mouth to say something but stopped before anything came out as his eyes widened. The wind which started abruptly stopped just as suddenly.

Kumiko noticed the sudden hesitation and ceasing of the wind. She peeked over Marui's shoulders and a gasp left her mouth.

A sheet of ice and snow lay over the park before her eyes, the creatures completely frozen. Even the swords which were mindlessly flying about slaying them was frozen in mid-air and dropped to the ground.

Kirihara blinked dumbly at the sudden cold spell and when his senses returned, he frowned before shaking his head about like a dog, in an attempt to remove all the flakes from his head, which he was sure, is there.

The frozen swords suddenly dispersed in a red smoke as Kirihara turned and walked towards Marui who still had a hold on Kumiko, who by now, was shaking from the cold.

'_W-wow...even though the snow is like feets away from us, I still can feel the cold. It's f-freezing!!'_

Kirihara crossed his arms when he stopped in front of them and pouted. "I guess Kurin-senpai is here."

"Hn."

Kirihara jumped at the sudden voice and looked to the left, where a blue haired boy stood. He looked to be about Marui's age.

At the sight of him, Kirihara immediately pointed a finger at him. "Why did you interrupt my fight?! I was just gonna finish them off!!" He demanded.

The boy scoffed. "You were taking too long."

One of Kirihara's eyebrows twitched. "It was just 3 minutes!!"

"It was 3 minutes and 54.9 seconds to be exact." The boy replied. "Too close to 4 minutes. You have to improve your battle time, Kirihara-san."

Kumiko swore Kirihara's eyes went bloodshot for a second before returning to normal. Since the time he fought Fuji in a tennis match, he was constantly improving his control over his violent outbreaks and this overjoyed Kumiko. She really disliked it when Kirihara was violent. In fact, she disliked violence altogether!

The blue haired boy turned his attention to Kumiko who was finally released from Marui's hold though she stayed close by him for she felt uncomfortable with the new presence. And just cause it was damn cold.

"This her?" He asked.

Marui nodded. "Yep.

The boy walked closer to Kumiko and stopped right in front of her. Kumiko looked up at him and resisted swallowing a gulp when she saw how cold his eyes were.

'_A warm golden colour but devoid of emotions...' _She shuddered mentally.

A shiver ran down her spines when he spoke. When he spoke, it seemed almost as if he was speaking with emotions. The keyword being almost.

Anyone else who heard him speak will be fooled by his voice. But for Kumiko who saw his eyes with such clarity, she found it impossible for him to speak with any feelings.

"I am Fuyu Shiki, but others call me Kurin. I would prefer it if you did so as well, Ishimaru-san." He said, with a small smile on his face.

A bead of sweat ran down Kumiko's face. She found that smile unnerving and incompatible with his hollow eyes.

"N-nice to meet you, Kurin-san." Kumiko replied meekly, feeling no need to introduce herself since he seems to know her name already.

Kurin nodded at her reply. He turned when Kirihara spoke to him.

"Why are you here by yourself anyway? I thought Takibi-senpai was supposed to arrive with you?"

Kurin lifted an eyebrow. "Marui-san here had initiated code Yellow, according to Amon-sama. So I was forced to come here as fast as possible and since Takibi-senpai was late, I decided to come on my own.

"Har? Marui-senpai, why did you initiate code Yellow for?! We could have handled them ourselves without back-up!!" Kirihara said indignantly.

Marui shrugged. "It was just in case." A bubble formed from his mouth.

"Umm..." Three pairs of eyes turned towards the only female in the area. "Wh-what is going on?" Kumiko asked, a sweatdrop running down her head at the sudden attention.

Kirihara scratched his head. "We'll let Amon-san explain it."

Kumiko wanted to slap somebody_. 'There with that Amon person again! Who is he anyway?!'_

The roaring of a car engine caused all heads to turn towards the source. A sleek red Mazda RX-8 stood there and from the driver seat emerged a person with similar red hair.

"Yo! Sorry I'm late."

"Damn straight you're late!" Kirihara growled.

"What's it to you brat?" The new person retorted.

Kurin suddenly clapped his hands together, producing a sharp sound which ceased all arguments. "Kirihara-san, Takibi-senpai. I would prefer it if you finished with this argument some place else. For now, we must bring Ishimaru-san to Amon-sama."

"Che, whatever." Was Takibi's response before he went back into the driver's seat.

"Let's go, Kumiko-chan." Marui piped up and before Kumiko could say anything, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the car.

"Oi! Kurin-senpai, what about the sno-" Kirihara did not finish his sentence for when he turned back around, he found all the snow gone. "…..You sure work fast…I didn't even see him open the Gate." He mumbled to himself before getting into the backseat of the car and sitting himself next to Kumiko who sat next to Marui.

Kurin opened the passenger seat, and as soon as he closed the door, he commanded Takibi. "Drive."

Takibi rolled his eyes. "Yes, Master."

"Wh-who exactly are you guys?" Kumiko asked tentatively, her attention switching between Marui and Kirihara and then to the two at the front.

"Why, I'm your fellow school student of course! Rikkai's tennis club volley specialist and tensai!" Marui chimed.

"That's not what I meant Marui-senpai..." Kumiko sighed. Sometimes, she wonders about Marui's mentality. He's 15 and yet acts like a 7 year old.

Kurin made eye contact with her through the driver's mirror hanging in the middle at the front of the car.

"We're the Gatekeepers."

* * *

**AN: As I mentioned before, the Gatekeeper and Gate idea was from the anime Gatekeepers. Quite a nice show if you ignore the ridiculous vehicles and presence of high school fighters.**

**Reviews are lovely =]  
**


	4. I and I: Information and Introductions

**This chapter is a bit lengthy as it is where I give majority of the information. So bear with me ; you can skip if you want to though you might be confused in the future. Its a bit confusing but so long as you get the gist, its fine x3 Or ask me if you're lost =D**

* * *

_Gate To The Heart_

_Chapter 4: Information And Introductions_

_"It's hard to accept the truth when it is finally revealed to you."_

* * *

She blinked.

He stared.

She blinked again.

He stared.

"W-what?"

If Amon weren't the stiff sort of person he was, a second Tezuka as Kirihara dubbed him, he would have probably slapped his forehead in senseless agony. But instead, he just sighed.

He looked at the girl sitting across from him in the meeting room. The table they sat at was an oval shaped one, which stretched from one side of the room to the other, approximately 5 meters in length. Its polished surface gleamed under the white lights hanging over head. The light from the 2MX3M HDTV screen on the left of the room broadcasted various profiles of SM-J employees.

He had been sitting in this room for the past 50 minutes explaining to this girl her parents' true occupation, the organization, the creatures that attacked her today, the Gate Keepers, her friends, anything else he deemed important, and her future.

And she _still_ did not get it.

Amon stared at Kumiko hard, his mind instantly processing all her thoughts based off the emotions radiating in her eyes. Shock, disbelief, confusion and doubt were all that he found.

He did not expect her to believe him right off the bat anyway. After all, she had been living the past 14 years of her life as a normal human being, constantly wondering about her parents whereabouts; and suddenly she was thrown this whirlwind of information which normal people commonly called crazy, lies, bullshit, crap, jokes and would have instantly sent the person blabbering them to the mental ward.

As he was briefing her, the Gatekeepers who picked her up today was lounging around the hallways outside the meeting room and Amon could only imagine the quick depletion of food inside the vending machine, compliments of Marui, if he did not finish this and stop him.

'_Our bills have skyrocketed since he joined us 2 years ago thanks to his food splurges…'_ Amon lamented. _'And that Kirihara is not helping by using the company credit card to buy the latest games…..not to mention Takibi constantly upgrading his car…..'_

Life as your Boss's personal assistant/manager/accountant was hard. Especially if your Boss suddenly kicked the bucket(1) and you're left to deal with the messes they left behind and nurturing their kid who had absolutely no idea what her parents did as a living.

Shaking his head, Amon raised his gaze to Kumiko who sat there silently the whole time, eyes slightly wide and mouth agape. She was still trying to process everything Amon just told her. Her eyes remained on the folders in front of her on the table which was presented to her by Amon upon her arrival.

Her parents stared back at her from the pages of the folder.

"Mom….Dad….."

"Kumiko," Her gaze travelled to Amon. She blinked slowly at the lack of the –san honorific and the use of her given name.

"If you're wondering why I'm not referring to you as Ishimaru-san, it's because I knew you since you were a baby. But it seems you do not remember me from your childhood."

"Eh?" Kumiko blinked once again. She has been blinking a lot during the past 30 minutes. _'This man knew me when I was a kid?'_

"My visits to your household had decreased significantly when you turned four which is why you probably do not remember me for your memory hasn't really developed yet during that time." Amon clarified upon seeing the girl's questioning look.

"I was very close with your father and had known him before he even met your mother." He spoke solemnly.

At this revelation, Kumiko gave Amon her full attention. For some reason, she felt a slight pang of pain in her heart. _'This man….knows more about my father than I do…'_ she thought sadly, albeit angrily. This new revelation just shows Kumiko how much she does not know about her own parents and proves the lack of time they spent with her.

'_Going around saving the world whilst ignoring their own kid…'_ Kumiko thought to herself bitterly.

"You might feel angry at your parents for ignoring you but please realize that they did care for you…" Amon immediately broke into her thoughts when he saw the frown that was emerging on the young girl's face. "One of the only reasons they always made sure they got out of any battle alive is so that they could see you again."

Kumiko looked down, her brows sloping downwards in a frown. "They're still dead aren't they?!" She slightly yelled. Kumiko felt the familiar stinging in her eyes, signs of the tears that are about to come._ 'They were dead….all this time….the past year!! And I didn't even know till now!!'_

Suddenly realizing her thought, she looked up at Amon, her gaze still showing hints of anger but her voice was soft. "Why now….?"

Amon looked at the girl. He supposed she was taking it pretty well. When he told her why Kirihara had befriended her upon her enrolling into Rikkaidai was so that he and Marui could keep an eye on her, orders from her parents themselves, Kumiko just took it in silently, her expression completely placid.

Although Amon suspected she felt betrayed or perhaps lonely at that point. It wasn't pleasant to suddenly be informed that your friends, especially those who you trusted for a long time, are just friends with you because your parents ordered them to.

"The reason we delayed for so long to inform you on their deaths is because we did not see the need to bring you into organization yet. At least, not at this point in your life. That was what Kenichi-sama and Asuka-sama would have wished for anyway." He took a breath.

"Kenichi-sama and Asuka-sama wanted you to spend your life growing as a normal school student. They did not want you to get involved in such meticulous and sinister works. However, we cannot ignore the sudden outbreaks of Dark Matter (2). Especially when we found that the recent sightings and eliminations of them by our Gate Keepers were always nearby you."

Kumiko's brows raised in shock. "Around me…? But I never noticed them…"

"You would have if the organization worked any slower- for they would have made contact with you, probably even killed you. But we constantly have people watching over you. Marui and Kirihara being one of them. Along with several other people you may know. In cars, parks, shops, malls ,restaurants…anywhere you visit, at least one SM-J member is there to keep watch over you."

"In other words, you guys were stalking me." Kumiko dead-panned.

Amon sighed. "Not stalk. Keep watch."

"Same difference." "She pouted. Then she raised a questioning brow. "Even in the bathroom?"

"…….We have a female member doing that. Please do not worry about your privacy Kumiko. We would never dare intrude on the privacy of any Ishimaru family members. They are after all, on the highest rank in our organization whether they realize of our existence or not. We know not to cross the line." Amon flushed out hesitantly at first but regained his composure. Placing his chin against his propped hands, he smirked behind his knuckles.

'_Hn….she gives the same vibe as Asuka-sama…although she does not realize this…it seems to come natural to her. It's not surprising she is their child.'_

The only other people in the world who can actually break Amon's poker-face would be Kumiko's parents. But now it seems that their daughter is able to do it as well.

Getting back to the topic, Amon continued. "Obviously, the Dark Matters that were frequently around you was no coincidence and the attack today as well. They are out to get you and we have yet to figure out why. And that is why we have no choice but to reveal our existence to you, so that you are aware of the danger you are in and it also allows us to keep you safe much more easily."

A sudden silence reigned over the room as Kumiko took this in. It was a big shock to her at first but she took it pretty well and did not ask for proof since she had already seen these Dark Matters with her very own eyes and was even in danger of them not too long ago. And she also had seen the powers of the Gate Keepers….

She suddenly felt sad when she thought about the Gate Keepers. _'That means that they didn't actually intend to be friends with me in the first place….its because Mom and Dad asked them to….' _

"Kumiko."

Her head snapped up when she heard her name. "I know this is hard and many things in your life will not be the same anymore, but it is for your own safety….and perhaps, the safety of the world."

"The world?"

Amon nodded. "Everyday, Dark Matters are on the move globally and SM-J, Solomon Japan, is only the Japanese Branch. We have branches worldwide although our forces are mainly stationed at urbanized areas where Dark Matters are most prominent, Japan being one of them. And your parents were the Heads of the Japanese branch. Among others are the United States, Australia, China, United Kingdoms, Vietnam and many, many others. When your parents were alive, these vile beings were not so active. However, 2 years ago, there was a sudden rise in their activity and numbers, and our search and recruit of people possessing Gates increased since then. That was when your friends, Marui and Kirihara were recruited."

"We have a large database of family trees, dating all the way back to 150 years ago. And at least one member in the whole family tree- the ones which we have data of- possesses a Gate. As Gates are passed down genetically, we use the trees to trace anyone alive from that family as they have a chance of possessing a Gate. Gate Genes appear in every single member birthed from the bloodline of the original possessor. However, sometimes the genes they received are not prominent enough and are too weak so the Gate cannot be activated. And sometimes, although the Gate can be activated, the people live out their lives and die without even realizing they have a Gate for they must feel a strong desire, a strong need to accomplish something. It is this desire and powerful emotion which is the last key to awakening the Gate within a person. Without it, even if they inherited the full Gate Gene, they cannot use it. After that, it is up to the person on how well they control the Gate. The Gatekeepers in our organization have all been put through training to ensure they can use the gates properly. In Marui's and Kirihara's family, they both had a Gate user within their family decades ago, from their father's side. Another factor is that the Gate Genes are most active during periods of growth and it is during this period which the Gates are more easily activated, rather than when the person is old. Which is one of the reasons why most of our Gatekeepers are young, and some still in school. Of course, we have several seasoned Gatekeepers as well."

Kumiko nodded, confusion still slightly scrawled across her face. "A-Amon-san, this Gate thing…how does it work exactly? I did not understand when you explained it to me just now."

"That's alright. I'll explain it again." Amon got up at this point and walked over to the TV screen, a remote control in hand as he started to play videos of people activating Gates. "To put it simply, the Gate is sort of like a portal….a medium of sorts. It allows the user to draw supernatural powers from a different plane, a world entirely different from ours. Scientists in our world have theorized the existence of parallel universes before, but they were unable to prove it. I am not sure if you're a believer of the existence of different worlds, but Kumiko, they do exist." Amon glanced at Kumiko before playing another video, this time of Dark Matters forming out from the ground.

"These are the lowest class of Dark Matters, Ghouls. There are many more different classes and much more powerful is what our researchers(SM-J's researchers) have speculated, but we have yet to prove ourselves completely right. Our researchers also believe that these beings came from the same plane from where Gate Keepers draw their powers."

Kumiko stared at Amon with slight doubt. "How do you know that?"

"We ran experiments on some of the Dark Matters we killed….and those captured alive. The energy vibes they gave off were of the same essence as that of the Gates, only much more dark and sinister. However, we do not know how they are getting across into our world. But we speculate that there must be someone bringing them in….that, or they are forming here in our world themselves."

Kumiko's mouth made a 'O' as another silence settled in, with the girl staring at her hands and Amon looking at her.

Amon gave a tiny smile. "You do not need to commit yourself to all these information yet. You will have time to learn about them in the future. We are not forcing you to take control of SM-J right away at this moment. Everyone here in the SM-J will help you in getting settled in and once you are ready, only then will you take the position your parents left for you. That time may be next month, next year or maybe even 10 years later. But one thing is definite…"

He straightened and turned to fully face her, all having left his face but seriousness. His dark gaze held her scared ones in place.

"You are the heir to SM-J. And even if you deny this fact, Dark Matters as we have seen, will come after you and in the end, you will have no choice but to become one of SM-J, or face death." Amon's voice was soft but harsh. He did not mean to be so stern with the girl but he knew that if he wasn't, she would probably be a thorn in the future. She must know her role now.

Kumiko can only sit there silently. She did not see a way out of this. It seems like Amon is intent on fulfilling her parents will and making her the leader. And if what he said was true, then those creatures really were after her…

She wanted to scream.

She felt angry….really angry although her face remained calm. Her parents were gone for more than half of her life and behind her back and their absence, they had decided her future for her. She didn't want to be the leader of some underground organization which goes around slaying things…even as cool as it sounded.

Weren't these things only supposed to happen in movies?! To think that she would actually be faced with such a situation. If her life were a movie, she would be the main protagonist. And even if she did become the leader….

"What am I supposed to do as the leader anyway?" Kumiko suddenly asked.

"You do not have to worry about that yet as of now. All you need to do right now is to make sure you're always safe, get to know the organization better, understand the facts about Gates and Dark Matters and of course, get to know the Gatekeepers. They are after all, going to be in your presence a lot in the near future, and you would need to be able to trust them with your life. Especially with some of the Gatekeepers, they have a bit of a complex with listening to someone younger than them…as immature as it sounds. But I'm sure you can fix this rocky patch with them." Amon encouraged, although his face retained that poker-face.

"O-okay…" Kumiko agreed, not understanding how Amon can be so certain of her getting along with the other Gate Keepers.

She didn't like this role that was suddenly thrown to her. But she honestly could not see herself leaving this room without accepting it; this man would most likely hole them up in here for 2 months if need be, just to make her accept life the way it is for her now.

"Well then, with this out of the way, I'm sure some proper introductions to the Gatekeepers are in place." Amon announced, as he made his way over to the door. Kumiko remained in her seat with her gaze still following Amon's figure as she twirled the large seat she was in. Thoughts went through her mind absently, and she tried to sort them out, but she was still pretty much confused- and scared.

"Kumiko."

"Yes?!" Immediately her head shot up from its slackened position.

Amon raised an eyebrow but did not say anything.

He then left the room again to get the Gatekeepers was what Kumiko surmised. Although she wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow but since he did not ask her to, Kumiko continued sitting in the chair and occupied herself by spinning it constantly.

A small laugh. "You seem to be having fun."

Kumiko instantly stopped spinning, her head slightly dizzy but she still managed to turn towards the voice. There, two boys stood, one with brown hair and another with silver hair.

Why did they seem so familiar…..

Kumiko shot up in her seat as it hit her. "Eh?! Fuji-san? Ootori-san?!"

Fuji just smiled at her while Ootori gave a small wave.

"How are you, Ishimaru-san?" Ootori asked as he approached her, his tall figure towering over her tiny one in the chair. "I heard from Marui-san that Ghouls attacked today….you're unharmed I hope…?"

Kumiko only stared in shock at the two boys, not realizing that one of them had started talking to her.

Ootori blinked at the lack of response. "Ishimaru-san..?"

Fuji smiled. "It seems she's quite shocked with our presence, Ootori-san."

That sentence from Fuji snapped her out of her reverie however as she immediately started looking from one boy to the other. "Y-you guys are part of SM-J as well?"

Ootori smiled shyly as Fuji nodded. "We're Gatekeepers, to be more precise." Fuji informed.

Kumiko made a sound similar to 'oh' before asking another question, annoyance prickling at her. "Is there anyone else that I know who are Gatekeepers?"

"You'll know sooner or later." Fuji smiled that beautiful yet scary smile of his.

Curse it all!! How come so many people she knew know about the Gatekeepers and all that and she doesn't even know when her parents are the Heads?! Kumiko knows that Amon just explained to her why she wasn't informed but she was still slightly angry and annoyed at the fact that her friends were keeping it a secret…

But then it hit her. _'They aren't really my friends….'_

Sadness washed over her as Kumiko slouched in her seat, her fingers fidgeting in her lap. Fuji and Ootori both noticed the change and exchanged knowing glances.

"Ishimaru-san…." Ootori started but stopped when the door opened. The two boys looked over and found Amon, with several people behind him.

Both Fuji and Ootori bowed and straightened up when Amon entered. Amon gave a nod of acknowledgement before standing next to the girl still lost in thought in the largest chair in the room.

"Kumiko..." Amon took one glance at the girl and instantly knew that she was brooding. He rubbed his temple before placing a hand on her shoulder. This act had got her attention as she looked up at him. He bent low and whispered softly so that no one else can hear other than her. "Don't blame them…"

Kumiko looked shocked for a moment before nodding, looking as if she was about to cry. In fact, she did felt like crying but she did not allow herself and tried to calm her heart. It hurts, but she knew that no one was to blame. Not even her parents.

They just wanted to look out for her, that's all. Even if it meant giving her false friends.

Amon waited for a few moments to see if his future leader was alright before walking further into the room, signalling the Gatekeepers to make a line against the wall so that Kumiko had a clear view of all of them from her seat.

Suddenly, Kumiko felt shy and self-conscious with all the people in the room…especially when she was the only female in the room at the moment. And they all had considerable knowledge of the matter at hand unlike her….she was a newbie….it was almost the same as when she first enrolled in Rikkaidai.

People knew their way around, they had friends who continued into middle school with them back from elementary. But she was a transfer student from some international elementary school. She knew nothing….

She resisted swallowing a gulp when she noticed all the eyes on her. Her eyes met Marui's whose hand instantly made a 'V' sign at her but she averted her gaze, looking at anywhere but him and Kirihara. Marui frowned and dropped his hand, confusion in his eyes.

Amon cleared his throat. "Kumiko, these are the Gatekeepers who you will be working with in the future and who will be overlooking your safety as well. Kind of like bodyguards. There are more of them but they are not present at the moment for they are located at other regions." He then started introducing all of the Gatekeepers gathered, going up to each one as he introduced them.

"This is Kurin, as I'm sure you already know. He attends Morikobu High, which is just a train's station distance away from Rikkaidai. He won't be far whenever you need him during school hours. And I'm also sure you figured out by now that he possesses the Gate of Ice and Snow."

Kurin bowed slightly as he was introduced, his blue hair falling over his eyes. Kumiko took a good look at him and noticed his golden eyes. _'Those are contacts right….?' _Kumiko nodded back at the icy looking boy, giving a small shy wave. Kurin gave a tiny smile which did not match his cold eyes as he stuffed one hand into his pockets, the various chains around his waist making clinking sounds as he did so.

"And this is Takibi Hotaru." Amon moved onto the redhead next to Kurin. The boy only glared at Kumiko before huffing and crossing his arms over his chest. Kumiko blinked at the boy. _'Maybe this is what Amon meant by people not appreciating a young leader….but his hair is so much more brighter than Marui-senpai's….I wonder how long did he bleach it for….'_

"Takibi goes to Minmei High School which is further from Rikkaidai than Morikobu High, but that is no problem as he has a car as you should have seen this morning." Amon continued. The girl cocked her head to one side. "High school? Then shouldn't it be illegal for him to drive…?"

"He looks so much older than he is anyway so it doesn't matter." Kirihara can't help but jest.

Instantly, red eyes locked on him and attempted to burn holes through him. "I dare you to repeat that Kirihara!!" Takibi yelled and would have jumped the boy had Amon not clamp a hand down on his shoulder.

"Kirihara! Takibi! Watch yourself." Amon ordered, his voice stern and his eyes daring them to do something. The effect was instantaneous as both boys immediately straightened up. "As for your question Kumiko, Takibi was given a special ID issued to Solomon members only worldwide, and his allows him to use any vehicles without consequences. Governments around the world recognize this ID and so he will not be arrested….so long he doesn't rob a car from civilians. Other than that, he can put to use any government cars, military vehicles and anything that will not raise suspicions among the civilians. Solomon's existence must be kept a secret from the population at all costs. And we of course have special ways of doing that but you need not concern yourself with it at the moment."

Kirihara pouted. "But why does only Takibi-senpai gets to drive underage and we can't?!"

Fuji smiled at Kirihara. "That's because Takibi-senpai specializes in cars, since it is his hobby. So he knows how to utilize vehicles much more safely than us, especially at our age. We most likely will run the car into walls, am I not right, Kirihara-san?"

"You are so right, Fuji-san." Takibi agreed, his face glowing in pure happiness at the comment.

Kirihara rolled his eyes but resisted commenting back. He did not want Amon on his back.

"Enough chit-chat. Anyways, Takibi possesses the Gate of Hellfire." Amon cut into the conversation, wanting to finish this. He moved onto the next two people.

"You already know both Kirihara and Marui so I won't need to explain them. Kirihara possesses the Gate of Weaponry while Marui has the Gate of Gales." The two boys mentioned beamed proudly at Kumiko who only sweat dropped. She then hesitantly moved her eyes away from them, the fact that they only befriended her on orders still fresh in her mind.

"And you also know Fuji and Ootori as I have heard." Amon said.

"Yea….we met at several tennis tournaments…" Kumiko replied, and smiled at the two boys who smiled back, one with his usual and the other a shy blush on his cheeks.

Amon nodded. "Fuji here has the Gate of Divines….we're not really sure of its potential yet but hopefully, he can utilize it well in any time of your need."

"I'm sure he can, Amon-san. He is after all, the tensai of Seigaku." Kumiko commented, grinning. Fuji smiled at the girl. "Thank you for your confidence in me, Ishimaru-san."

Kumiko then placed her attention on Ootori who fidgeted around shyly. "Ootori here possess the Gate of Protection, from what we gathered from his family tree database. He will be crucial to your safety although he yet to have full control over his Gate and summon it at will. We can only hope that he can master it soon as it will be a most important Gate"

Ootori bowed, his cheeks flushed in slight embarrassment. "I-I'll try my best!"

Amon patted his shoulder. "I'm sure you will. Now….-" Amon turned to the next person but found him asleep-….while standing. He stared at the figure but Kumiko couldn't see what his expression was, because his back was to her.

Ootori instantly started shaking the sleeping figure. "Jirou-senpai!!"

Jirou roused from his slumber, his eyes still half-closed. "Huh? Is it time to go?"

"Umm no…" Ootori gestured at Amon. Jirou looked forward and came face to face with the tall, stoic man. "A-Amon-san!!" Jirou instantly straightened and he now appeared wide awake.

"Jirou."

"Y-yes?"

Amon took a deep breath. "Never mind." He turned to the girl in the chair who was stifling a laugh. She had always found Jirou adorable although she nearly cracked her head when she first met him.

He was sleeping on the ground where Kumiko was passing by at the tennis courts in Tokyo and she had tripped over his figure, not noticing him there. Luckily for her, Ootori was there at the right moment to catch and apologize to her on behalf of his senior while said senior got his ears blasted off by a certain boy with a blue cap.

The world is such a small place. _'To think that they are all Gatekeepers….I wonder if they too were on orders to meet and befriend me like Kirihara and Marui….' _Kumiko thought sadly. She was cut from her thoughts when Amon's voice drifted into her ears.

" Although he sleeps too much in my opinion, Jirou here is one of our more important members. His Gate of Air is something we find very useful, in terms of both attack and defense." Amon explained while Kumiko could hardly believe her ears.

She did not expect the Sleeping Beauty of Hyotei to be an extremely treasured person in a secret network. The way he brings himself totally contradicts the importance that is placed on him.

The door suddenly opened and Kumiko looked behind her to see a tall, beautiful and seductive looking woman walk in. She wore the usual office suit for women although her skirt leaves nothing to the imagination. Underneath her black, long-sleeved suit, she only wore a thin and flimsy white button shirt which was unbuttoned at the top three. Her eyes seemed to scan the room for a moment before landing itself on Kumiko, who is now more self-conscious than ever at the beautiful woman before her.

'_Wow…she's so beautiful…..I definitely do not want to be seen with her…' _Kumiko blushed as the woman smiled coyly at her and approached.

The woman bent low to match Kumiko's height. The younger girl blushed at the closeness of the woman's face and pushed herself further into the chair to distance them. She was so close, Kumiko could clearly see the light make-up on her face.

"Well now, is this the girl who is going to be our future leader?" The woman spoke, voice low yet not deep. She raised a hand, nails painted with red and black French manicure, and placed it on Kumiko's cheek. She gently rubbed her thumb against her cheek as Kumiko flushed pink and leaned further into the chair till she slid down a little. "Maa…She's a cute little leader" The woman sang out, another smile breaking out on her face.

"Renai, you're scaring her." Amon stepped up to Kumiko's rescue. "You're much too forward."

Renai pouted, making all the boys in the room except Amon and Kurin blush. "I was just trying to get to know our little leader better." Renai faced Kumiko once again and lightly pinched the girl's cheeks with boths hands. "Besides, she'll be in much better hands with me than brutes like you lot."

Kirihara scoffed. "Me?A brute? If you were referring to Marui-senpai I'd agree-" He was cut off as Marui pulled him into a headlock. "Is that how you talk about your senpai, huh, Akaya-chan?"

"Don't call me -chan!!" Kirihara's muffled screams came from under Marui's arms, as he tried to pull himself free.

Ignoring the squabbling boys, Amon turned to face Kumiko as Ootori tried to break Marui and Kirihara apart. Kumiko thought he was sort of like the 'mother' of the Gatekeepers, like how Oishi is the mother of Seigaku and perhaps Yukimura-senpai for Rikkaidai……or not.

"Kumiko, this is another one of our older Gate Keepers who has been with SM-J for a longer time." Amon introduced and before he could continue, Renai walked into Kumiko's vision, blocking Amon out.

"Don't listen to him, little leader-chan. I'm not really that old like he makes it seem." The woman smiled at her, crossing her arms under her chests, accentuating them. In the loud background, Kumiko mildly heard someone muttering something along the lines of '…that hag…24 years old…'

Apparently, Renai heard it as well for she twitched slightly but kept the smile on her face. "You can call me Renai like everyone else, Miko-chan" Renai sang as she slid onto the table in front of Kumiko and proceeded to pull Kumiko's chair closer to her.

A squeak escaped Kumiko as Renai pulled her into a hug when she was close enough. "Aw~ You're such a sweetie! I'm going to spoil you rotten from now on." Renai cooed as she rubbed her chin against the top of Kumiko's head.

Amon sighed heavily. "Renai possesses the Gate of Charms. Do not be fooled by her openness."

"Nonsense, Amon. I would never use my powers on a sweet girl like her." Renai laughed, stroking Kumiko's hair lovingly.

"R-Renai-san….can you p-please release me..?" Kumiko asked, her face completely red from embarrassment.

"Oh she's so cuuuuute!! But I'll let you rest for now and spoil you some other time." Renai released her, not before placing a small peck on Kumiko's cheeks.

Kumiko sat back in her chair with relief. It's not that she didn't like Renai, in fact, when Renai first spoke to her, she was already starting to like this woman. However, she just didn't like being touched so much by someone she just met 5 minutes ago.

Renai smiled, amused at the girl and her shyness. _'She sure is different now than when she's with people she's familiar with….I suppose I just have to let her know me better first before she lets me spoil her.' _Renai threw a small glare at all the boys in the room who only sweat dropped, not sure about what they did to receive such a look. _'There's too many males in this place, I need a female like her to dote on.'_

Suddenly, Renai clapped her hands together, a huge smile breaking out again on her face. Kumiko wondered if her cheeks ever hurt from smiling so much.

"Well then, I'm sure our little leader here will have to get to know everyone better so let's all go out for a buffet!!" Renai announced. Upon the word buffet, Marui instantly cheered, agreeing to the idea completely. "Let's go to Nikko Hotel!! They have some awesome buffet offers there!!" He said, eyes hopeful.

Amon deadpanned at the both of them. "You're not using the organization's credit card." He said.

Renai dismissed his words with a wave of her hand. "What are you talking about? You're the one who said that little leader here should get to know the Gatekeepers better, so I'm sure having a lunch outing together would be a good opportunity"

Everybody did not really have a say in the matter anymore for Renai insisted, and if they resisted, she'll just charm them. When threatened that she would be breaking organization rules, she just threatened she would quit.

No one can really argue with her at that point.

* * *

**1. Its an idiom which means "to die/death"**

**Dark Matter Database One.**

**The creatures that attacked Kumiko, Marui and Kirihara in the previous chapter. Dark Matter is the general term for them and each class and type of Dark Matter have a different name. The ones who attacked them were the lowest class, Ghouls. Their original form is just a large, tall pile of blocky liquid. Due to this, they are able to travel around in sewers, pipe etc and are able to seep through gaps, even particles sized ones. They were able to get to the park through the underground water pipes and seeped up through the soil. They are also able to shape shift into a basic human form, sans the skin eyes etc. Due to this shape shifting ability, they are able to shape swords, blades etc of different lengths and size as well as extend them.**

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